Topical dental medicaments are currently administered via one of three methods. Some medicaments are applied to a dental tray or are poured into a dental tray, which the patient bites into, some are administered via syringe, and others are applied with the dentist's fingers while holding the patient's mouth open. U.S. Pat. No. 8,663,177 to Fogel discloses, for example, a system for the delivery of topical medicament comprising a reservoir and a glove lumen, wherein an operator still must apply the medicament using a digit of his or her hand. Even if the device makes it convenient for a dentist to have the medicament close at hand, the medicament must still be applied while the mouth is held open, and the burden is still on the dentist to apply the medicament to the right place and in the right amount. The invention of Fogel is not well adapted to applying medicament in the mouth, as there is no protection against spills, no consideration for illuminating the area inside the mouth where the dentist would apply the medicament, and no consideration given to how to keep the area dry from pooling saliva.
In the treatment of dental caries, commonly known as cavities, a class of medicament called dental varnishes requires topical application to the tooth affected. Silver nitrate, silver fluoride, fluoride varnish, and silver diamine fluoride (hereinafter SDF) may all be categorized as dental varnishes. When applied, the dental varnish requires a short period of time to dry and to set on the tooth, so that the varnish forms a barrier acting against tooth decay. Because the dental varnish wears away over time, it is often recommended that patients see the dentist periodically to have the varnish reapplied. SDF has recently risen to a promising role in stopping the progression of a cavity, having recently been approved by the US FDA.
SDF is, as of the time of this application, currently only sold by two companies in the US, and only sold to dentists. It is a thin liquid that a dentist can apply to teeth with cavities. Its primary purpose is to arrest the progress of dental caries (cavities), but it also has a secondary effect of relieving dental hypersensitivity. Despite the effectiveness it has demonstrated, a major disadvantage of SDF is that it will stain gums, lips, cheeks, clothing, and tabletops (basically any oxidizable surface) due to the oxidation of silver ions in SDF. The stain appears as a dark black lasting several days on skin and gums, so the dentist would have to be very careful in applying it only to teeth. Other side effects include pulpal irritation and oral soft tissue irritation, so the dentist applying SDF to a patient's teeth has even more motivation to not let this dental varnish touch any surface other than the tooth.
In current art, however, there are difficulties associated with applying SDF. To start, often times cavities start in between two teeth in the back of the mouth that are touching. There is no direct access to get a toothbrush in between the teeth. Fortunately, dental floss has become the commonly accepted ‘carrier’ of SDF in between the affected teeth. The process for the dentist is as follows: place cotton to isolate teeth as best as possible, place standard string floss between the patient's teeth, apply a drop of SDF to the end of the floss so it will wick across the hidden area where the cavities are, maintain the floss there for 30-60 seconds, and carefully remove everything from the patient's mouth without letting the SDF touch other parts of the mouth. Unfortunately, there is no device available that makes holding the floss easy, keeps the tongue and cheek tissues away from the teeth being treated, and removes pooling saliva simultaneously. Under the current art, the dentist has to get his or her fingers inside the patient's mouth, isolate to keep the area dry from saliva pooling, place the floss, apply the SDF with a small floss and then wait 30-60 seconds. This becomes very difficult and stressful for the dentist, especially considering that young children comprise the population on whom SDF is most commonly used to halt the progression of cavities.
Therefore, a need exists for a device to enable a dentist to quickly and easily apply the necessary medicine to the patient's tooth without causing discomfort or unsightly staining.